Rush Limbaugh, is a big, fat, ugly, white guy with no heart and no brain. So, whatever he says is not surprising. It is usually mean-spirited, false, untrue, nasty, idiotic, stupid, cruel, etc., but it is not surprising.
Limbaugh thinks the inauguration of President Barack Obama was a miserable failure, a flop, a joke, nothing more than another campaign event. Heh, heh.
He has a right to his opinion, of course, in spite of the fact that millions of people around the world would heartily disagree, but that's only the beginning.
Limbaugh wants President Obama to fail as president. Here's what he said on his radio show last Friday:
"I disagree fervently with the people on our [Republican] side of the aisle who have caved and who say, ‘Well, I hope he succeeds.’”
Then he mentioned he had been asked by “a major American print publication” to offer a 400-word statement explaining his “hope for the Obama presidency.” He responded:
"So I'm thinking of replying to the guy, 'Okay, I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four. I hope he fails. What are you laughing at? See, here's the point. Everybody thinks it's outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, 'Oh, you can't do that.' Why not? Why is it any different, what's new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what's gotten us dangerously close to the precipe here. Why do I want more of it? I don't care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: 'Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.' Somebody's gotta say it."
What the fat, ugly white man is really promoting, of course, is the failure of the country. And, he knows very well that "liberalism" isn't the problem, but the cure. The problems of our nation are not the result of liberalism, but are the spawn of the "conservative" politics Limbaugh showcases.
And what he doesn't realize is that his day is over. The country has moved in another direction. The population is changing rapidly and dramatically. Limbaugh, a sad and pathetic excuse for a human being, will find his audience made up of more and more of the marginalized, the mentally ill, the dumb and dumber, and the world will pass him by like roadkill on an Interstate.
This is a Colorado Ski Bunny, a rare and beautiful creature. I believe they are on the endangered species list. We were most fortunate to obtain this photo, as Colorado Ski Bunnies are very difficult to locate in the wild. They tend to avoid people and when confronted fly like the wind down the slopes.
I'm sure I've seen this movie. Wasn't it one of the early Bond flicks? The wheelchair guy was a really, really bad person. Wanted to destroy the world. Or at least the United States! Whatever happened to him?
AOL News says Rick Warren got a "tepid" response for his invocating skills at Obama's inauguration.
AOL News also says that some folks appeared to be moved emotionally, standing with arms outstretched and tears in their eyes.
To each his/her own.
While I thought it was suffocating and boring, Warren's invocation (prayer) was what I expected: an overly-long sermon as to what God should do and Obama should do and all of us should do.
A major problem is that Warren may speak of inclusiveness, about treating one another with respect, but he doesn't mean it. We know how he treats homosexuals (e.g. they cannot be members of his church; he opposed Proposition 8 in California); we know what he thinks of those who are pro-choice (he opposed Obama for president on the grounds he was pro-abortion); we know he believes that all people who have not accepted Jesus will burn forever in hell. We know these things because he has said these things with no qualification or equivocation. When he says [God] "is loving to everyone" he has made, the unspoken qualifier is always that, in spite of God's loving nature, those who chose not to accept Jesus are doomed forever.
We also know that the god he prayed to today is the Christian god. Atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhist, etc., were excluded. This was a christianist prayer based on the wrong-headed assumption the United States is a Christian nation.
Some of what he said was indeed appropriate, such as his prayers for President Obama and his family and our nation as a whole. But, again, it was very much a sermon, reminding us and God of our mutual responsibilities.
And he just couldn't help "humbly" asking all this of his god in the name of Jesus and then reciting the specifically Christian "Lord's Prayer."
It was a predictable, utterly unnecessary and inappropriate nod to God, and likely indicated to people of other faiths and to unbelievers all over the world that we are hypocrites, rewriting our Constitution to serve our own prejudices. In other words, to those without knowledge of our Constitution, Warren's invocation would leave the clear impression that we have established the christianist religion in our land.
Here's the text of the prayer:
Let us pray.
Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.
History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our healthcare ...
... is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise healthcare's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West -- know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job, which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. -- Barack H. Obama.
Would you say this is a good example of good advice? Or is it a bad example of good advice? Or is it a good example of bad advice? Or is it possibly a bad example of bad advice?
The media has handled George W. Bush with kid gloves for eight years, and that warm and fuzzy treatment didn't end when the disaster president left Washington today to head home to the Lone Star state.
Here's a paragraph from an Associated Press article which described Bush's helicopter departure:
"As he left the White House for the last time Tuesday morning, Bush blew a kiss out the window of his presidential limousine, a goodbye gesture at the closing of a two-term administration that confronted the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, war and recession."
No! No! No!
George W. Bush did not "confront" any of the three: A terrorist attack, war, or recession. It would be more correct to say the following:
George W. Bush, because of his inattention and disinterest in the intelligence reports he received, was instrumental in allowing the 9/11 terrorist attacks to happen. It is very likely he and his administration could have taken action that would have prevented those attacks.
Instead, after the fact, he used the 9/11 attacks to justify a variety of direct assaults on our Constitution, including the right to habeas corpus, the right of privacy, and the right to a fair trial.
George W. Bush did not "confront" a war, he started a war, preemptively invading a country under false pretenses, to protect our access to its oil , again using 9/11 as a rationale.
George W. Bush did not "confront" a recession. His policies and his appointees paved the way for the worst economic breakdown this country has seen in many moons by huge tax cuts, massive borrowing to fund war on two fronts and total disregard for financial regulation, among other things.
One wonders if things would have been different if the media had done its job over the past eight years.
Unfortunately, it did not do its job, and today, even as the coddled "cowboy" takes his long-awaited leave of the White House, the Associated Press cannot cease pandering to this most pitiful of political partisans.
George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States is gone, swept into the dustbin of history, to be remembered as arguably the worst president ever. Bush leaves amidst a renewed call for integrity, accountability, transparency and the rule of reason, not piety or ideology.
Bush never understood these three words, with which our Constitution begins: "We the people..." A pretender to a non-existent throne, we the people of the United States can only rejoice in his departure.
Now, together, we must begin the process of piecing back together the nation he has left in shredded disarray.
Of course, it wasn't a "miracle" at all. When US Airways Airbus 320, Flight 1549, went down in the Hudson River, the 155 passengers were "saved" by the timely and professional actions of the pilot, Chesley Sullenberger III, and the crew.
No "miracle" was involved, no matter what the governor of New York or the media says.
That didn't stop the moron, aka Edward Current, from blathering on about miracles and God's good works.
For a more thorough debunking of this moron's so-called "miracle," click here.
[Patrick Mahoney being arrested in front of White House while calling for Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Bejing. Photo from daylife.com]
The prayer and fasting is over. The final prayer, which was to take place this morning, should be finis. Maybe Patrick J. Mahoney will go home now and take his bible-toting sycophants with him. Or not.
We do have freedom of speech in this country, and Mahoney can stand anywhere he wishes (pretty much) and pray his little heart out. He can even bring his christianist reconstructionists to Washington and stand in front of the White House and call on his god to make this country a "christianist" nation.
It's just all so stupid and boring. But it is also dangerous.
Mahony, you see, is the director of the infamous christianist outfit known as the Christian Defense Coalition.
(Have you ever noticed how so many of these extremist christianist outfits use military-sounding names? They must perceive themselves warring for their god against a godless and pagan culture, overrun with liberals, Democrats, non-Christians, and other dangerous and scary people.)
Anyway, Mahoney and a group of delusional followers have been fasting and praying for President-elect Obama for the past 19 days out in clear view of the White House as well as in their respective homes and churches.
Now, you might think: What could be wrong with that? All people of faith should be praying for President-elect Obama.
Except, and here's the kicker: Mahoney doesn't care much about Barack Obama. He would have preferred just about anyone as president other than Barack Obama. What he wants is to induce his god to force Barack Obama's hand and turn the United States into a christianist country run by christianist rules. That's what he's really praying for.
He wants Obama to ban abortion, stem-cell research, and gay rights. He wants Obama to put prayer back in the public schools, post the Ten Commandments in courthouses all over the country, place born-againers in positions of the highest responsibility, and appoint judges who will ignore the Constitution if it conflicts with the christianist viewpoint.
Mahoney was one of the three wacko "anointers" who gathered in the Capitol a few days ago to pray and "bless" the doorway through which Obama will walk to his inauguration.
The Website of the Christian Defense Coalition talks about how christianists much be "radical" and must be about "Biblical obedience."
The goal of the Christian Defense Coalition is "to see all public policies and institutions based on the principles of God's Word and the historic teaching of the Church." (My emphasis)
In other words, the Christian Defense Coalition is a subversive organization. That is clearly stated in the goal above, for such a goal could only be accomplished by abolishing or at the least, rewriting our Constitution.
May their days be numbered upon the earth.
Read this article and be afraid, be very afraid. Here's another point of view by the extremist christianist Minutemen.
AOL News tells the story of an Australian writer, Harry Nicolaides, who was sentenced by Bangkok's Criminal Court to six years in prison for "insulting Thailand's royal family" in his 2005 novel, "Verisimilitude."
The book is fiction. It sold seven copies. The passage in question relates to "the personal life of a fictional prince" which "suggested that there was an abuse of royal power."
Nicolaides' sentenced was reduced to three years by the judge because "he had entered a guilty plea."
"This can't be real. It feels like a bad dream," said Nicolaides, tearfully.
Thailand has a law, known as "lese majeste," which "mandates a penalty of three to 15 years imprisonment for 'whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the Regent."
It's a law the departing George W. Bush, the evil Cheney and the dastardly Karl Rove would love.
Compare the following and thank your lucky stars you live in the U.S. of A. where soon da Bush and his cronies will be "history":
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
--The Constitution of the United States, Amendment I.
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion considers itself to be part of the one, holy, catholic church. The Roman Catholic Church says "no," it is a heretical group. There is only one, holy, Catholic Church, and that's the Roman one founded by the apostles and Peter and all those guys and that has been in business since the first century.
Heh, heh. Nice mythology, but not true. Heh, heh.
Sts. Clare & Francis is an ECC church in Webster Groves, Missouri. It is led by Frank Krebs, a former Roman Catholic priest, and by Jessica Rowley, 26, who was ordained as a Catholic priest about a year ago.
ECC churches welcome all people, but is especially attractive to those who have been "marginalized" by the Roman Church -- divorced folks who've remarried as well as gays and lesbians.
Pastor Rowley was raised a devout Roman Catholic, attending Catholic schools in Chicago. She received an Master's of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Eden is an established, highly-respected seminary, and though affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ denominations, has a thoroughly ecumenical approach.
Her husband is a pastor of the United Church of Christ.
Pastor Rowley gained a certain notoriety when she became pregnant last year. She was, many said, the very first pregnant Catholic priest. She gave birth to a son, Finn, on November 21, 2008. She and her husband said at the time they planned to baptize Finn in both the Catholic and UCC churches.
Rowley does not belong to the association, Roman Catholic Womenpriests. She doesn't claim to be a Roman Catholic. She is not tied to the Vatican. As a result the St. Louis Archbishop is leaving her alone. Archbishop Raymond Burke excommunicated two other women who were ordained as Roman Catholic priests last year.
He doesn't care about Rowley as he doesn't consider her to be a "true" Catholic. There is only ONE Catholic church, says a spokesman for the St. Louis Archdiocese. The ECC is not truly "Catholic," and thus the Roman Church doesn't really care what they do. "To be Catholic, authentically," saith the spokesperson, "is to be in union with the Pope and the bishops of the Catholic Church."
Of course it is. Furthermore, if too many people defy the authority of the Pope and his skirted Cardinals, chaos could result. More women would want to ordained. Lay people might want to have a real say in the organization and operation of the Roman church. Priests might even get married (legally). Pretty soon folks would have the gall to get divorced and come right back to take Holy Communion. All the gay priests would insist on coming out the closet.
"Jesus Christ, what a mess that would be!" saith an anonymous cleric wandering vaguely down a a long, narrow Vatican hallway.
Ain't religion wunnerful?
Oh, here's what one loving Catholic Christian said about the Rev. Rowley: "...this woman is neither catholic nor priest is more of an animal trying to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in front of the divine."
And another: "She is Not A Catholic Priest Period..."
Did you ever wonder where the phrase, "horse of a different color," came from? Do you know what it means?
According to answers.com, it is used to refer to "Another matter entirely, something else. For example, I thought that was her boyfriend but it turned out to be her brother--that's a horse of a different color.
"[The] term probably derives from a phrase coined by Shakespeare, who wrote 'a horse of that color' (Twelfth Night, 2:3), meaning 'the same matter' rather than a different one. By the mid-1800s the term was used to point out differences rather than likeness."
HBO did not televise Bishop Robinson's prayer as part of their inauguration program yesterday. HBO claimed this was at the request of the Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Here's the video, thanks to La Figa. The text of the prayer is below, courtesy of Episcopal Cafe.
A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural Event Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC January 18, 2009
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
Like many, if not most prayers, the Bishop's prayer is more of a sermon than anything else. But it's a good sermon, reminding his listeners that God is not a tribal god, but the "God of our many understandings." He urges us all to strive to end suffering, discrimination and the tendency to lord it over the rest of the world.
And then, poignantly, he asks the deity's blessing on her child, Barack.
It was an "inclusive" prayer, which at the end of the day, is a pretty damn good word. And notice, he ends his nod to God with a simple, "Amen."
Whether one is religious or not, Bishop Robinson's prayer deserves an "Amen" from all Americans.
The state of Wisconsin has a law that exempts parents who pray their children to death from prosecution for child neglect and abuse.
Christian Scientists in Wisconsin want to revise the law in order to exempt their faith-healing practices, too.
The parents of the late Madelina Kara Neumann are not members of any organized religion nor are they members of a church. But they "believe" the Bible, by God, and God says he's the source of healing.
So, "naturally," when their daughter, a diabetic, became sick last Spring, they did not take her to a doctor like normal parents, but rather they prayed. For weeks. Then little Madeline died - of treatable diabetes.
Dale and Leilani, though, weren't all that worried. They figured she would be resurrected.
Dale and Leilani Neumann were charged with second-degree manslaughter. I am not sure as to the disposition of their case at this time.
Wisconsin does have a law dealing with child neglect and abuse. Unfortunately, the Wisconsin wackos who put this law together ensured it contained a provision exempting those engaged in faith-healing practices.
State legislators are looking at revising that law, and members of the Christian Science Church are just too eager to help. That's not a good thing. Christian Science believes that everything is Spirit and matter is an illusion; thus it denies the reality of sickness and death.
The state judiciary committee has been working with one Joe Farkas, a lobbyist for the Christian Science Church, to develop a bill that would cover Christian Scientist concerns. A legislative staff member said, "We're working on legislation that would clarify the statute to protect the civil right to prayer and healing and protect children."
This legislation would, said Eric Peterson, get rid of the current exemption for faith healing. In it's place, the new law would "create a legal mechanism known as an 'affirmative defense' that would require anyone attempting to use spiritual or faith healing as a legal defense to follow a "standard of medical care' that Peterson claimed had been established by the courts. The bill itself would provide no guidelines for what this standard of medical care would mean."
Sheesh!
No "standard of medical care" has been determined by the courts. All this new bill does is confuse the issue, which seems to be what the Christian Scientists want to do. The Christian Science Church, which, as a matter of policy practices "spiritual" healing, has lobbied, often with considerable success, to be exempted from the various state laws concerning neglect and abuse.
If the Neumann's spend a few years in jail, that would jeopardize the Christian Science position. No wonder they want to change the law.
The problem is that the change they are pushing for will not protect children, it will only protect the Christian Science Church.
According to Barbara Roberts in her book, Not Under Bondage: Biblical Divorce for Abuse, Adultery and Desertion, Christians may divorce and remarry if adultery, desertion or domestic abuse is involved.
Ms. Roberts is challenging the accepted wisdom of the fundamentalist christianist community. For example, Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, holds to the notion the Bible does not provide an exemption from the prohibition of divorce for domestic abuse.
I haven't read Ms. Roberts' book and do not intend to for the simple reason I have no confidence that most biblical admonitions have validity in the 21st century, especially those relating to marriage and divorce.
But, if she indeed argues that the Bible allows divorce in cases of domestic abuse, she is most certainly "rewriting" scripture; or at least the New Testament in which Jesus makes clear that divorce is only allowed for "adultery," and he isn't even happy about that.
[Actually, in first century Palestine, divorce was the prerogative of the husband. A Jewish woman could not divorce her husband under any circumstances, although it appears there may have been cases where the wife initiated the divorce followed by her husband then giving her the divorce papers.]
Here are the plain teachings of Jesus:
Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 - Jesus says clearly one may divorce only in cases of adultery.
Luke 16:18: Jesus says "A man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery" and vice versa (the writer of Luke was not up on Jewish law). But notice, no way out there!
Mark 10:2-12: Jesus says the same thing. No divorce and remarriage except for adultery.
We must conclude, for christianists who stress literalism and inerrancy, domestic abuse is not a legitimate reason to divorce, according to the Bible.
Except that Ms. Roberts, a survivor of domestic abuse, has done an intense study of all the Biblical passages that deal with divorce and decided that "the Bible sets victims of abuse free from bondage and guilt."
She claims the Bible makes a distinction between "treacherous divorce," and "disciplinary divorce." And disciplinary divorce, which has to do with abuse, adultery and/or desertion, is allowed in the Bible.
Like I've said before, you can make the Bible say pretty much anything you want it to.
I find this all quite amusing. To be so chained to a faith position and a magical book that one has to go through all sorts of theological and biblical hoops in order to determine that a victim of domestic abuse is "allowed" to divorce, is just sad. To look to this ancient collection of "wisdom," written by persons unknown with no knowledge of science or psychology or how the world actually works, in order to get "permission" to do what any sane person knows is the right thing to do, is a waste of time and energy.
I happen to agree with Ms. Roberts' conclusions, so far as abuse and divorce go, but she doesn't go far enough. Marriage should never be treated lightly, but if a marriage is irretrievably broken, we should make it as easy as possible for the partners to divorce. We don't need to get "authority" from the Bible to do our humane duty.
But, let's look at what Ms. Roberts has done with Biblical "evidence," and apply it to homosexuality.
The great majority of scientists today are convinced that some human beings are born with a same-sex attraction. Homosexuality is not something that one chooses, anymore than is heterosexuality. Why would anyone choose to be part of a hated and persecuted minority?
If that's the case, then christianists should blame God for she created everything and everyone that exists.
Furthermore, we can do exactly the same thing with the homosexual issue that Ms. Roberts has done with regard to divorce - recast the biblical passages that deal with homosexuality so that our understanding is more in line with contemporary science and with a loving God.
The marriage of fundamentalist christianity with ancient taboos has led to torrents of abuse raining down upon our homosexual brothers and sisters.
Christians should do for homosexuals what Ms. Roberts has done for domestic abuse victims caught in horrific marital situations - give homosexual victims of christianist abuse a way out of their "bondage and guilt"! (I know, most homosexuals are not caught up in "bondage and guilt" anymore, but christianists could at least acknowledge their worth as human beings.) All the christianists need to do is interpret the Bible in the light of the knowledge and understandings of our time, which is exactly what Ms. Roberts has done in her book.
Come to think of, Lisa Miller already did that in a recent Newsweek article. Didn't work.
What would be a fair interest rate on an unsecured loan? Credit card companies essentially provide unsecured loans to the public. They send out millions of credit card applications every day (I must get at least half of those!) inviting sundry folks, even those with challenged credit, to sign up for a credit card.
Do you know the term used by credit card company loan sharks when one of those applications is returned with the proper information and signature? GOTCHA!
The credit card companies have made the criminal activity of loan sharking a cornerstone of their business.
Let's say you have several credit cards on which you are paying a portion of the balance each month. One of the first things you might have noticed is that the time between when you receive your bill and when that bill is due is shrinking. And the credit card companies don't tell you that. They have good reason as we shall see.
Let's say that for credit card company A, you always pay at least your minimum balance on time. You've been a customer of this company for years and have a spotless credit record.
Let's say that you also have a credit card at JC Penney. One month you mislaid the Penney's bill, forgot about it and thus didn't make the payment in a timely fashion. Your credit card company A, without your knowledge, is watching you at all times and is immediately informed that you missed that payment to JC Penney. It so happens that you also applied for another credit card with company B, and company A was immediately apprised of that. You were also a day late on your payment to credit card company C because they compressed the time between when you received the bill and when it was due without notifying you of the change.
You normally don't pay much attention to your credit card bills. But when company A sent its bill, you decided to check out the interest rate, which had been 8.9 percent. You almost have a heart attack on the spot. Your interest rate has been raised to 30 percent! Thirty percent!
They can't do this, you scream.
Ah, but they can. And they do. All the time. It's a little clause in your agreement called Universal Default. Although it's criminal, it's legal.
Some states, such as New York have outlawed the practice. Some companies claim they do not engage in the practice (be very, very skeptical!). Some say they plan to quit the practice.
Universal default has sent many unsuspecting folks to the poor house, or put them on the street.
"Universal default is a relatively new provision that has been added to the credit card member terms and conditions by credit card companies. Universal default basically allows creditors to review a customer's credit report on a regular basis, and if there is any change that has negatively impacted their credit score a new, higher interest rate can be applied."
Here's how they get you:
1. Making a late payment (even just one time) on a credit card, mortgage, utility or car payment. 2. Going over the limit on any credit card. 3. Carrying too much overall debt. 4. Using 50% of the credit line of one particular card. 5. Having too much available credit and open trade lines. 6. Making too many credit inquiries. 7. Getting a new mortgage or car loan.
As bankruptcylawnetwork.com says, "Even if you have a great credit history, one financial bump in the road can cause an economic collapse."
An attorney from Everett, Washington, Mary Schmitt, claims the universal default provision has caused many of her clients to file for bankruptcy protection. Universal default, she says, "causes everything to snowball. That's why they're all in bankruptcy."
A credit card company can raise the rate so high - Schmitt says she's seen one at 52 percent, that no individual or family can possibly pay off the balance! [A mafia loan shark would be jailed for such usury!]
When a person fails to pay, the account is turned over to a collection agency, which in turn obtains an injunction and then garnishes the person's wages. Soon, that person defaults of her mortage and foreclosure looms.
In Washington state, bankruptcy filings have jumped by 40 percent this year.
There is a little bit of hope. The Federal Reserve Bank has issued new rules to better protect the public from predatory and criminal credit card companies.
Linuxinsider.com says that the "card companies will be prohibited from charging interest on balances that were paid off in the previous cycle." The companies cannot raise interest rates on pre-existing balances. They can "raise rates only on balances that a consumer accrues after being notified of the rate change."
Also, the companies cannot hike interest rates during the first year after opening an account. They must end the practice of "deferred interest," which means they "cannot retroactively apply interest after advertising a special zero percent. They cannot charge a late fee if the bill was mailed less than 21 days before the due date. Etc.
The big problem is that these new rules will not take effect until July 2010!
The criminal credit card companies are crying in their beer. Omigod, they're going to lose tons of money if they can't cheat their customers! They might lose $12 billion per year! Please let them continue to cheat their customers!
Don't weep for them. They'll find a way to get you! They always do.
Pay all your bills on time! Don't carry a balance! If a company gives you any problem at all, cancel the card. Check your credit report occasionally to see that everything is correct.
It's always best to pay cash, of course. The bastards can't get you, then! Can they?
Mark Slouka is a novelist, essayist, contributing editor at Harper's magazine, and director of the writing program at the University of Chicago.
In the latest (February 2009) issue of Harper's, Slouka writes that Americans should be happy because "Bucking all recent precedent, we seem to have put a self-possessed, intelligent man in the White House..."
Slouka is happy about that, too, but his happiness is qualified. While the situation is Washington has changed, he remains worried about the intellectual state of the American people.
"I'm less certain about us," he says. "I'd like to believe that we're a different people now; that we're more educated, more skeptical, more tough-minded than we were when we gave the outgoing gang of criminals enough votes to steal the presidential election, twice, but it's hard work; actual human beings keep getting in the way."
After providing a couple of examples of mind-boggling human dumbness, Slouka says he keeps hearing a voice "whispering that we haven't changed at all, that we're as dangerous to ourselves as we've ever been ..."
The danger comes, not merely from the fact that, as a people, we are ignorant "(of politics, of foreign languages, of history, of science, of current affairs, of pretty much everything) ... [it is also] our complacency in the fact of it, our growing fondness for it. A generation ago the proof of our foolishness, held up to our faces, might still have elicited some redeeming twinge of shame--no longer. Today, across vast swaths of the republic, it amuses and comforts us. We're deeply loyal to it. Ignorance gives us a sense of community; it confers citizenship; our representatives either share it or bow down to it or risk our wrath."
In place of knowledge and learning, says Slouka, we have come to "care about auto racing and Jessica. We care about food ... And money. ... We care about Jesus, though we're a bit vague on his teachings. And America. We care about America. And the flag. And the troops. ..."
But we remain ignorant!
"One out of every four of us believes we've been reincarnated; 44 percent believe in ghosts; 71 percent, in angels. Forty percent of us believe God created all things in their present form sometime during the last 10,000 years. Nearly the same number--not coincidentally, perhaps--are functionally illiterate. Twenty percent think the sun might revolve around the earth."
Complicating the matter further, says Slouka, we have traded knowledge for opinion. We believe in our opinion, "regardless of the facts." Thus, Slouka tells of the "man in the Tulsa Motel 6 swimming pool" who told him last summer, "if English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for us."
While we recognize expertise in certain areas, like basketball or refrigerator repair, "when it comes to the realm of ideas, all folks (and their opinions) are suddenly equal. Thus evolution is a damned lie, global warming a liberal hoax, and Republicans care about people like you."
Not only so, but "belief" also has been given an exalted status in our minds. It's no longer so much about what you might actually know, but what you "believe." "Belief is higher, nobler; it comes from the heart; it feels like truth. There's a kind of Biblical grandeur to it, and as God's chosen, we have an inherent right to it."
"We may not know much, but at least we know what we believe." And that, says Slouka, is why so many of us weren't concerned when "Sarah Palin couldn't answer Charlie Gibson's sneaky question about the Bush Doctrine. We didn't know what it was either."
What really worries Slouka and should concern all of us is that our pervasive ignorance carrys over into our voting patterns and thus threatens the very life of our nation. What do we do about the fact that 1/3 of "white evangelicals ... believe the world will end in their lifetimes, or [that] millennialists ... know that Obama's the Antichrist because the winning lottery number in Illinois was 666?" What can we do about such ignorance?
And then we have the "real problem ... underlying American democracy" -- the 38 percent of the population that didn't even bother to vote. Maybe, suggests Slouka, many of these were just too "fed up to bother...
"Millions of others, however, are adults who don't know what the Bill of Rights is, who have never heard of Lenin, who think Africa is a nation, who have never read a book. I've talked to enough of them to know that many are decent people, and that decency is not enough. Witches are put to the stake by decent people. Ignorance trumps decency any day of the week."
What has Slouka worried and should worry the rest of us, in spite of the fact that Obama won the election, is "the unpleasant fact that a significant number of our fellow citizens are now as greedy and gullible as a boxful of puppies; they'll believe anything; they'll attack the empty glove; they'll follow that plastic bone right off the cliff.
"Nothing about this election has changed that fact."
And if nothing else, because a republic such as ours can survive and thrive only with an educated populace, we should probably prepare for some interesting times ahead, if not, indeed, the discombobulation and disintegration our precious democracy.
[Gary Cass with now-dead wingnut, D. James Kennedy]
Well, she is!
And you damn well know why!
Bishop Gene Robinson, that's why!
Lots of right wingnuts are upset that President-elect Obama invited the gay bishop to invocate at his inaugural festivities.
Tony Perkins says the invite is just a sop to "angry liberals." Bill Donohue, the Roman Catholic nitwit, whines that Robinson is just as offensive to Catolics as to prostetants. Peter LaBarbara complained Robinson was "an affront to faithful Christians and religious defenders of morality everywhere. We've already noted, in a previous post, that the ever-loving christianist Matt Barber is proclaiming that Obama's invite to Robinson was a "betrayal" of christianists everywhere.
Kyle, writing at Right Wing Watch, tells us that Rick Scarborough, theologian extraordinaire, has also jumped into the fray. Robinson is a "slap in the face," saith Scarborough. Not only so, but Bishop Robinson's choices are completely against the Bible he supposedly represents." [Note the word, "choices." That's christianist code denoting that homos CHOSE (just to be "different") to become "that" way even though they knew God hates queers.]
But the biggest asshat in this conference of minor minds is Gary Cass. Yup, the kook at the CADC (that's the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, and orgyinzation established because poor Xtians in this country are constantly getting beat up by lowlife atheists and fake Xtians; why they're even expected to abide by the Constitution instead of the Bible. Talk about persecution!) is warning parents everywhere to keep their children at home, inside, hidden away, eyes closed, covered up BECAUSE God's gonna rain down all kinds of horrendous horrors on Amurika!
Yup. The ass, Cass, says that "Obama's inaugural events are a major step backwards for historic Christian values. ... Don't let your children watch!"
Yup. And "Some one ought to remind him [Obama] that he wasn't elected mayor of Sodom."
Yup. And asshat is crying that "Barack Obama's inauguration will have the dubious distinction of being the most perverted in our nation's history..."
Yup. So, "... [Cass, the ass] must unfortunately recommend that you keep the kids away from the TV and pray that God will not rain down fire and brimstone down on Washington DC."
Yup! Fire and brimstone. What the hell's brimstone? Never no mind. You'd better turn off the TV entirely. Good Xtians don't need to watch no inauguration festivities which will be overflowing with evil bishops and other perverts who claim to be Xtian but are really Satan's wolves in disguise, and a bunch of oddballs who think Obama is wunnerful but are nothing more than pawns of the damnable Democrats!
First click here. You will find a blog by an ignoramus named Sam away out in Nebraska who is pissed off at atheists and other nogoodniks who are intolerant of his god and his desire to pray to Jesus in the public schools...He's also got things to say about "Darwinism," even though there is no such thing, and how atheistic folks are constantly making fun of his Bible and his beliefs, and how, in the end he doesn't mind, 'cause Jesus prophesied the mockery he's experiencing would come to all "true" believers.
Well, you oughta read the article.
PhillyChief's response:
Sam,
Freedom of opinion is a protected right in America, but in order to form the best possible opinions, you need to have accurate information to base those opinions on. You don't seem to have accurate information for your opinions so I'd like to offer that information to you.
"You atheists are rabid in your beliefs"
There's no belief system to atheism. Atheism is a response to a claim of deity existence. There's not even any rules for how to reach your conclusion. You can reach it through logic, through tea leaves, through a sixth sense, or reach it the way you (I assume) are an atheist when it comes to Thor and Vishnu, you just refuse to believe.
"You can preach your religion of Darwinism in our schools, but our Christian beliefs are forbidden."
Where do I begin? Ok first, NO religion is permitted to be preached in public schools due to the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment (each American should read and know their Constitution). You can teach religion, but you can't preach it.
Second, science is not a religion. Science is a process that has been successful for understanding our world and affording humanity great achievements (we are, after all, communicating right now due to science). Science's process requires hypotheses be testable and refutable. For instance, you can claim grass is purple, but such a claim is easily refuted. Now you can also claim that grass is green due to fairies, but such a claim is not scientific because it can't be tested. This is why ID was denied in the Dover case, because it's an untestable claim and thus, not science.
I wouldn't expect Shakespeare to be taught in science class, and I wouldn't expect Newton's laws to be taught in a religion class. It's just not where they belong, so aside from the unconstitutional aspect, religion simply doesn't belong in a science class.
"If you want to proclaim that we come from monkeys..."
No, chimps and humans have a common ancestor. That's different. What you're saying is like you came from your cousin, when actually you both share a grandparent. Capiche?
"Why are you afraid to let Christians give their point of view in Schools, Government, etc.?"
The Supreme Court has ruled that doing that in school is coercive. The idea is that if presented by the school, then the pov carries the weight of the school's support and by extension, the government's, when this is unconstitutional (remember that 1st Amendment?). Far from restricting you, it's actually there to protect you. In our nation's history, Catholics invoked the 1st Amendment to have their children protected from Protestant preaching in school, and various Protestants have used it to protect their children from other Protestant teachings they disagree with. I know you like the idea of debate, which is fine if everyone is on equal footing, but if the authorities are the ones who champion one pov, then that's not equal footing, is it? This is the whole point of the Establishment Clause. Again, I encourage you to read it.
Most everything else you wrote is simply opinion. I don't agree with your opinions, but so be it, but the quoted bits above were simply based on either incorrect or insufficient knowledge. I will answer a question of yours...
"What are you atheists so afraid of? Why do you get so angry?"
I would say frustrated more than angry. Frustrated by opinions based clearly on a lack of knowledge and/or understanding and frustrated by what we see as continued attacks upon the Constitution. I would say angry at decisions made which are detrimental to society which were made based on religion like Abstinence only sex ed and no distribution of contraceptives (everywhere this occurred, there was a significant rise in teen pregnancies and STDs), blocking equal rights for all Americans, blocking scientific research, and of course eroding the value of an education attainable in public schools.
Btw, the things I mentioned which inspire anger and frustration don't just affect atheists. There are many Christian groups who feel the same way, as do Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and various other groups because the sentiments don't rise from a disagreement over a religion, but rather what's done in its name. I truly wish the whole argument were simply over whether or not there were any gods. If that was all there was to argue, then there'd be little point getting angry.
-- Posted by PhillyChief on Sat, Jan 17, 2009, at 10:36 AM
Bob, at gods4suckers, explains why he loves Xians. He asks, "...where else can you get away with comparing your goals to totalitarianism -- and call it righteous?"
The answer is: at Anaheim Stadium where Saddleback Church members gather.
I would ask, also, "Who can get by suggesting that church members emulate Hitler's youthful followers and have a stadium full of Christians applaud?"
The answer is: Only Rick Warren, Obama's nod-to-god invocator.
Every dog of the male gender is pleased to come upon one of these upright restrooms while roaming the streets of our cities and towns. A tree is fine, but there's something special about a fire hydrant. One Golden Retriever, interviewed in a central Florida town, said a fire hydrant makes him feel like a "real" dog.
"I just have one question," he continued. "Why is the damn thing painted with Swedish colors? I'm from Scotland!"
I had to admit that I didn't know. Fortunately, Goldens are good as gold and he didn't bite me.
The Santa Rosa School District in Milton, Florida, has been attempting to make little Christians out of its students and a federal judge has ordered them to stop.
After school officials admitted the allegations in a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers shut their christianist efforts down.
On December 15, 2008, the School Board, the superintendent and the Pace High School principal filed an "Admission of Liability" with the court regarding districtwide constitutional violations.
These violations included the following:
* Elementary graduations and middle school Christmas concerts held at churches.
* Teachers and staff at Pace High School preaching about "Judgment Day with the Lord."
* Teachers and staff offering Bible readings and biblical interpretations during student meetings.
The district has also offered prayer at school events, including graduation ceremonies.
The injunction by the court bans the School District Board and its employees from:
* Promoting, advancing, aiding, facilitating, endorsing, or causing religious prayers or devotionals during school-sponsored events.
* Planning, organizing, financing, promoting or otherwise sponsoring religious baccalaureate services at all schools within the Santa Rosa School District, including at Pace High School.
* Holding school-sponsored events at religious venues when alternate venues are reasonably available.
* Permitting school officials to promote their personal religious beliefs and proselytize students in class or during school-sponsored events and activities.
* Otherwise unconstitutionally endorsing or coercing religion.
It's a shame that it takes legal action to force a public school district to obey the law and follow the Constitution of the United States, which they are chartered to teach.
But this is the kind of thing that happens when christianists consist of a majority in a community or on a school board, or a government committee, or a state legislature.
And for those of you who were around when the Christian Coalition was founded, this is exactly what was promised (or threatened) by the christianist wingnuts such as Pat Robertson who were involved at the time: an internal attack on our institutions in order to institute christianist religion in the various religious, educational and governmental agencies of our country.
Obviously, the officials of the Santa Rosa School District not only knew what was going on in the district, but gave their explicit approval. They should be removed from their positions for they have failed in their obligation to their students by illegally promoting a particular religion!
What's even more frightening is that it is very likely this kind of thing is being replicated in thousands of school districts around the country.
There are at least two groups at work today in the mainline Christian denominations in order to disrupt these denominations to the extent they can be taken over by a fundamentalist cadre that is high on biblical literalism and "orthodoxy" in its most extreme forms and low on inclusiveness. These two groups are also homophobic and anti-abortion.
One of them is known as the Association for Church Renewal. Some would say that's a nice-sounding name, but it is simply a cover for a pack of fundamentalist predators. The president of the ACR is one David Runnion-Bareford, who has worked for years to impose his conservative nonsense on one the most liberal and inclusive Protestant groups, the United Church of Christ. He's an advocate of utilizing "stealth" tactics by ultra-conservatives to take over the mainline groups. Such stealth tactics involve infiltrating church boards, committees, Sunday schools, etc., in order to move them to the right so that eventually the church itself can be "redeemed" for the Lord.
These people are not above the slimiest of tactics. When it appeared the Gene Robinson would be elected as Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, they funded an intense smear campaign, falsely accusing him of sexual harassment and administering a bi-sexual website. The smears were successful in that as a result of these false charges, some wealthy Episcopal congregations left the Church to join with the "renegade" Anglican outfit.
A couple of days ago, Runnion-Bareford had the gall to "warn" President-elect Obama that his invitation to Bishop Robinson to participate in the inauguration festivities would be "destructive" to those rightwingnuts who might want to support him.
"Your decision to invite Bishop Gene Robinson to provide public leadership at the Sunday celebration of your inauguration is offensive and disappointing to many of us in Christian leadership who seek to be supportive of your presidency ... Robinson is a schismatic figure who has intentionally caused deep hurt and division in the Christian Church. To many mainline Christians who share you concerns for peace and justice, Robinson symbolizes the moral deviance of denominational leaders who have embraced the agenda of sexual license to the detriment and decline of their churches. ... "
Not only so, says wingnut Runnion-Bareford, but omigod, Obama's sending a signal to all those Christians in the "global south," (i.e. Africa and South America and Asia) that he intends "to embrace the virulent practice of western hedonism," blah, blah, blah.
It is no wonder that people look at the Christian church, Protestant and Catholic, and just laugh. Or cry. What a joke.
If there is a hell, there must be a special place reserved for bastards like Runnion-Bareford and his ilk.
We've written about Rep. Paul Broun, the wingnut from Georgia on a couple of occasions. You may recall he introduced a bill in Congress that would prohibit the sale of "pornography" (e.g. Playboy and Penthouse) on military bases in order to protect the minds and morals of our young fighting men and women.
Broun, a typical Repugnican sleazebag, also voted against SCHIP (providing health care for children).
You'll also remember that he's one of the three morons who went to the Capitol the other day to anoint the doorway through which Obama will pass on his inauguration, during which time he prayed that God would "stir the heart of our new president that President Obama will listen and will heed God's direction."
And who better to tell us what God's "direction" is than Paul Broun.
Here's a couple of things from digby that I hadn't known:
1. About a week after Obama's election, Broun commented that by calling for a national civilian security force, the President-elect had shown the world that he was a "radical Marxist Nazi socialist comparable to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin."
Broun told the AP, "It may sound a bit crazy and offbase, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force. I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may--may not, I hope not--but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism. That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did. When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
The man is certifiable!Do we not provide help for Congresspeople who are crazy?
2. While I am aware that Broun is a christianist wingnut, I didn't know how he became one. He "attributes his conservative transformation to the wonder working power of Jesus. Broun's born-again moment arrived in 1986, during the height of the Reagan Revolution, while he toiled as a doctor in rural Georgia, struggling to keep afloat during the first year of his marriage. He has suffered through several 'broken marriages and episodes of broken relationships and financial problems,' Broun recalled during a November 2007 speech on the House floor. While watching an NFL game, Broun became entranced by a 'gentleman with this big type of hair wig on' holding a 'John 3:16' sign. 'As I sat there in my office that fall trying to figure out life, I picked up the Bible and read John 3:16,' Broun said. He suddenly transformed into a true believer, a cadre of the Christian right."
(The guy with the wig was Rollen Stewart, "an evangelical fanatic" who found his way to numerous sporting events with his John 3:16 sign. At the present time, Stewart is "serving three consecutive sentences in jail on kidnapping charges as well as minor sentences for stink bomb attacks.")
Does Rollen Stewart bring to mind Tim Tebow? It should. And it should show us just how dangerous it is for football players like Tebow to paint Bible verses on their cheeks. A moron like Broun might be tempted to look up the verse and become an even bigger moronand get elected to Congress, and holy crap, what a mess that would be!
Rush Limbaugh, is a big, fat, ugly, white guy with no heart and no brain. So, whatever he says is not surprising. It is usually mean-spirited, false, untrue, nasty, idiotic, stupid, cruel, etc., but it is not surprising.
